45. WALT WHITMAN: O me! O Life!

This is part three of my ‘Poetic Justice’ saga. It doesn’t make any sense unless you’ve read part one and part two.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was one of the most important poets ever and is considered the father of ‘free verse’ poetry. O Me! O Life! is an example of free verse as it doesn’t rhyme, follow any structure and sounds more like prose than poetry. The poem was published in Whitman’s seminal work Leaves of Grass, which he revised and published again and again for most of his life (he was the George Lucas of poetry!). What I found fascinating was that Whitman worked various jobs as a young adult – printer, newspaper editor, journalist, teacher – and was so passionate about poetry that he published the first edition of Leaves of Grass with his own money. Go Walt!

– Well, the story of ‘the kid’ continues (I haven’t given him a name yet). This is how I translated the poem but I’d be interested to hear if you interpreted it completely different to me.
– Thanks to Jen for submitting this.

Discussion (128) ¬

Hey Gav! Been a long time (if a couple months is long) lurker, and this is my first comment. Before I say anything else: Great site dude! I’m always excited to see a new one, and so far I have never been disappointed!

Now, I think you hit the nail on the head once again with this one. A wonderfully simple answer to a terribly hard question, and I think your illustrations fit that respect perfectly in my mind.

Thanks for another good one (and I like the longer ones, so i hope that continues too), already looking forward to Thursday.

HI, Gav! As always I enjoyed your art. Since you ask, I’ll add that I wouldn’t have associated this poem with this kid. I pictured Walt as having in mind and artist of some kind not being appreciated. The foolish ones being caught up in the latest fad, style, “in” thing, and not understanding the deep even if small contribution the speaker makes to eternity. I picture the kid coming to peace with that episode when he teaches others how to stand up for themselves (or for what’s right), maybe having a chance to teach his former enemies learn compassion. Wounded animal, help them through an illness, or even defend them against bigger bullies!

In any case, don’t quit what you’re doing. I look forward to every post. I remember your request the first time we corresponded that I keep my eye out for something good for you to illustrate, and I will continue to do so.

Rogers, you have a point that if any part of this story works with O me it’s this one. This specific poem is certainly the celebration of the poet, particularly one made timid by tradition. but Whitman also sang for the dispossessed. He says:

“I am the poet of commonsense and of the demonstrable and of immortality;
And am not the poet of goodness only . . . . I do not decline to be the poet of wick-
edness also.”

Also: “I am the hounded slave” and “I am the mashed fireman” — basically, he takes on the voices of the voiceless.

So, I can accept this as a natural application of Whitman to a boy who sorely needs to remember the brighter points of light.

I have a book due out in March with a main character who quotes Whitman to fight anxiety and depression, so I guess I’m biased in favor of this comic!

A wonderful piece Gav. Very touching and emotional in my opinion. I like that ‘Poetic Justice’ trilogy very much, and you have truly outdone yourself with this last piece! Personally I would love to see some more few-parts-stories like this trilogy. Keep up the great work!

I read the three posts together, and realized (finally) how good they were together – the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts…

As somebody who was bullied in school, and who had wonderful fantasies of revenge, I felt for the kid – deeply. Fortunately , I was never brave enough to follow through on those fantasies – especially since they involved explosives used on the individual bullies.

But time heals all wounds, and time wounds all heels. Decades after graduation, a friend told me of one of the bullies being downright civil a few years ago, and the nastiest bully’s alcohol-fueled duel with a tree did not end prettily (I wished him no harm, but certainly did not mourn his death).

Bullies exist throughout life – it is best to react as a civilized member of society… but do enjoy the fantasies (just don’t forget to leave the fantasies where they belong).

Oh wow. I recently found your work and have avidly read the archives. My favorites have been the ones with the kid, and while I loved the way you brought the other works together through the kid’s story, I didn’t realize that something was missing until I read this one. It brought tears to my eyes; it was such a good road for the kid to take (and for the readers to take with him). Thank you so much for sharing your work!

I like the synergy that comes with this trilogy. It took me a while, but I had to read the messages backwards to put them together. From all of this, I feel the moral of this kid’s challenges are: Despite all that happens to you, no matter what, you are alive and should take advantage of the opportunity of life. Live with your morals, despite what other people around you may think, say, or do. That is the only way to escape darkness of harsh times, for you are the captain of your soul.

Hi Gavin. I’ve been following your site for some time now and I genuinely love your work. My fav so far has been the Bruce Lee water quote. Walt Whitman along with Robert Frost is one of my fav authors and I was so happy that u adapted my fav poem. Check out Robin Williams explaining this poem in Dead Poets Society. It’s so uplifting.
Anyway please do try to adopt Stopping by the Woods by Robert Frost or The Road less travelled by, also by Robert Frost. Both are brilliant and inspiring

I could interpret this poem differently, & next week you might have interpreted it a bit differently. That is the thing with a great work of art – one can always find a new inspiration or a different meaning every time one views it.

So I find myself rereading snippets of old favorite works here & getting a new meaning to them that I had not previously noticed. Thank you.

Wonderful work, Gavin. I read these at every update you give. Keep it up! I enjoy reading the words and flowing with the pictures, its definitely a double-dose of envisioning my own personal story that matches with the words, an easy way to deviate from the norm, something I embrace haha.

I’ve just discovered your site (have a bunch of your images though, thanks to 9gag). I can just tell that it’s fascinating the way that you represent each verse, each emotion… You have seriously reached my soul…

Just so you know, please keep going, don´t fucking stop… Because your art is some of the most soulborn craft I’ve ever experienced as expectator. Thank you for every emotion from every design. (sorry for the english, not my native language)

Hey Gav, I just discovered your website today and have been browsing since the first strip.
Even though most of your illustrations are very inspirational (Bruce Lee’s quotes and the litany against fear are my favorite), this one in particular made my cry. My dad was in the ER during the weekend and well… this hit me hard.
Thanks, you just got youserlf another fan.

We love your work, but I’m going to offer a critique: Enough with the hammer bludgeoning. You’re getting lazy. Some of your best work has been the channeling into images the central tenet of the poems/quotes/speeches you are using. How could such great and unique lines all best be channeled through hammer assault? Come on, man.

That said, it’s your work, and you express yourself accordingly. You’re an infinitely more skilled artist than I, so who am I to critique? Oldboy must’ve had a pretty significant impact on you. I can’t wait to buy more of your work. Keep it up.

Just wanted to say that this is my favorite piece from all of your works simply because of how I relate to the boy. Thank you for visualizing my thoughts. You have given me the potential to make things good with my father. Thanks a lot. May God bless you.

I love this kid. I actually saw the first two parts of this series in 9gag and I just can’t help loving it. It somehow reminds me of the young me and the trials that I used to face with my peers. I’m glad that you add a redeeming factor in the end of each comic. It gives me hope that in the end of every adversary there is a happy ending. I really do hope there is a part 4 for this kid. 😀

Whitman is my absolute favorite poet. he was an amazing writer and his personal life is fascinating. this poem and this comic made me cry. the beauty and the truth his words and your artwork convey is overwhelming. thank you for this. you bring quality and humanity back to the internet. thank you.

I really didn’t expect a continuation of the Poetic Justice so I was really happy to see a part three and what more with such a moving and rousing poem! Great work there, Gavin! I’ve been hooked on your illustrations and scrolling through the archives in between work since I discovered your site. Gives me my fix of inspiration and motivation throughout the day.

Thank you for all the lovely work so far, looking forward to more! Keep on’ drawing!

Every time I read this, I cry. No matter how many times. It strikes so many different chords within me, and it touches down to my very soul.
Thank you for this. When I read this poem, when I see this comic…sometimes it is the only thing in a day that reminds me that everything will be alright. And I need that.
Thank you so very much for this.

The thing that makes me cry the most about this series is the dad. He’s been there since the first strip, ALWAYS there. He doesn’t judge. He doesn’t scold (at least not that we see). He doesn’t ridicule or get mad, he tries hard to understand. Most of all he picks his kid up at very obvious low points in the boy’s life, like parents should (I’m sorry if it sounds selfish, but really).

For a period of time I was in a very similar emotional state as the boy (though I didn’t attempt to murder anyone) and actually holed up in the dormitory, refused to come home for weeks, shut my phone and never went online anywhere, the whole deal. And yet my mom and dad never stopped asking me to come home, that we can work my problems out and they’re always willing to help and will always be there to help for as long as they live. When I finally opened my Facebook and phone, message after message started flooding in (since they couldn’t come themselves to actually pick me up from the university and drag me home). I realized just how blessed I was, despite all the shit I’ve gone through.

haha sorry i don’t know why i needed to share this oh my god i’m crying in a public place

I have found this “Saga” on a brazilian website and as they’ve tried to translate those Poems to Portuguese the text lost the meaning. As they kept this website URL I came here and got surprised with the message behind the lines and the cartoon. Thank you so much for this pretty job, I have really enjoyed!

Stumbled upon your site today – I think it is beautiful and inspiring! I love the mix of art and literature; you have really transformed some of these poems or quotes for me through your illustrations. Keep up the good work.

You’re comics are incredibly inspiring! You read these poems and a lot of times they’re just words (beautiful ones, but words nonetheless!). But having an illustration to accompany them just gives the words that much more depth. Thanks for sharing your gift with us! I just discovered this site and you’ve found a fan in me! 🙂

I hate those who ignored what was happening the people who could have stepped in and say leave him alone or tell an adult and then when the victim fights back act like he’s the bully when all he was doing was defending himself I hate those who look the other way

lol, this isn’t really appropriate for school.
you are a flaming faggot and call to jesus hotlines where i can send you a cat to have fun with. The cat will then crawl into your soul and terrorize your dreams and then swaggity swag swag motherfucker,

Ah hell, now I remember why I keep going through your archives so slowly. I keep finding ones that punching me right in the feels. You do such great work and you’ve introduced me to so many wonderful quotes and poems that I never would have discovered otherwise. Thank you!

As a people, we have become obsessed with Health. There is something fundamentally, radically unhealthy about all this. We do not seem to be seeking more exuberance in living as much as staving off failure, putting off dying. We have lost all confidence in the human body.